The statement gave no figures on the number of marines to be pulled out, but suggested the overall level would be the same as the 2006 agreement.

Japanese newspaper reports suggested some 4,700 Marines would be moved to Guam, and 3,300 would rotate through bases elsewhere in the Pacific.

In the statement, the two sides said they still agreed that Futenma should be relocated to Camp Schwab, in a sparsely populated area miles north of Naha, in line with the 2006 deal.

Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba told a news conference: "Rather than choosing an option where nothing moves forward, I took a step, under Prime Minister [Yoshihiko] Noda's guidance, to first realise the reduction of burden on people in Okinawa."

But Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima said even plans to close the base and move the remaining US personnel to a new location were unacceptable.

"A relocation without local consent would be impossible. We want Futenma moved out of Okinawa,'' the Associated Press reported him as saying.